Flue-cleaner



INVENTCIFK Patnted Aug. 22, 1882.

W. HAMILTON.

FLUE CLEANER UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

'FLUE-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,173, dated August 22, 1882.

` Application filed Julie 9, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and Statev of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fine-Cleaners 3 and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had totheaccompanyingdrawings,andto the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification- Figure l being a side view of my improved nue-cleaner; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the same; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, crosssections thereof, respectively, in planes indicated by the lines :v x, y y, and a z, Fig. 1.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

This instrument is made to draw or push endwise through the tube or boiler-fine to be cleaned; and the main feature of the invention is a spiral cutter arranged in a holder which will allow the said cutter to spring in or out to adapt itself closely to the inner surface of the ue or tube, the ends of the cutter being free, so as not to interfere with its movements in thus adapting itself to the said inner surface of the same. In order to give the cutter this capability, it is mountedin apeculiarlyconstructed holder, substantially as follows, referring to the accompanying drawings.

A central rod or shaft, A,which may be tubular, as shown, has secured thereon, ataproper distance apart, two heads, B G,which form the terminal parts of the cutter-holder. These heads are conveniently held in place on the shaft by means of sleeves a b c d, as shown in Fig. 2, two of them, a b, being on the shaft between the heads to keep the heads firmly spaced apart, and the other two, c d, being screwed upon the ends of the shaft to hold the heads thereon. Any equivalent and suitable means, however, may be employed for this purpose. A handle may be attached to the instrument by being screwed into a sleeve at one end of the shaft A, as at f, Fig. 2. One of the heads, B, has radial slot-s gg in its inner end, as shown, to receive one end each of aset of wings, D D, which extend from head to so as merely to receive the other end of the respective wings under the edge thereof, as clearly indicated. This allows, without binding, any slight lateral play of the wings D D, which may be caused by the use of a guide disk or plate, E, that is also secured on the shaft A between the two heads, and nearer the head C than the other, as shown. This guidedisk is or may be secured in position by being clamped between the two sleeves a b, the outer sleeves, c d, also holding the disk firmly between the adjacent sleeves. There are radial slots h h in this guidedisk to receive the respective wings D D and allow a free outward and inward play thereof, while they hold them from lat-eral deviation. The heads B C are of comparatively small diameter, as indicated, while the guide-disk E is nearly as great in diameter as the interior of the tubes or flues to be cleaned by the instrument. The outer edges of the wings D D correspond in shape to the requirements of these holding partsthat is, they slope outward from the ends until they reach thevoutward limit, and the iniddle part of each is straight or extends at equidistance from the center of the shaft alongits edge. The inner edges of the wings may be about parallel with the outer edges, as shown. The guide-disk E is located at about the point where the middle edge of the several wings joins one of the inclined ends thereof.

In the outer edges of the wings D D is cut Aa series of notches t' t, in which the cutter G is located, the said critter surrounding the holder in the form of an open coil, as shown, and making several turns aroundit-say three or more. These' notched wings compose the only holder of the cutter, which plays loosely in the notches t' thereof, and is thus. perfectly free to adapt itself to the inner surface of the iiue or tube, contracting orexpanding'in size, as required, and passing overlap-welded joints thereof, while cleaning completely the whole interior surface. The best forni for this cutter I find to be nearly triangularincross-section, as represented, one angle bein goutward and forming the scrapingedge thereof. The notches i i in the wings D D may have a similar un- IOO dercut form to help retain the cutter in place, though they should be large enough to allow the cutter to pla-y freely therein. This allows more or less play outward and inward to the cu t- 5 ter; and to allow still more play, it' necessary,

I provide interior springs, Il H, pressing outward against the inner edges of the wings D D to keep them in their outermost position, but to allow them to yield inward when necessary. The cutter G should be of spring hardened steel. The wings D D preferably should be of sheet-steel. The guide-disk E may be of iron, bushed at the guide-slots, and the heads B U may be of cast-iron.

I am aware that tine-cleaners have been made with spirally-arranged scraping projections on separate sections, one end of each spiral projection being free to adapt itself to the interiorl surface of the -tlue. Such a construction 2o I disclaim.

What I claim as myinvention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a flue-cleaner, a spring coil-cutter, G, in combination with a grooved holder, the spring-coil being arranged to play .freely in the grooves of said holder, substantially as described.

2. The cutter-holder composed of the heads B C, wings D D, and guide-disk E, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. rlhe combination ot' the notched wings D D and coiled cutter Gr, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

4. The combination ofthe springs H H with the wings D D, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

WILLIAM HAMILTON.

Witnesses i JOHN J AMES TURNER, HENRY LAMB. 

